Post Season 3 Finale. Disclaimer: I do not own anything on TVD or any of their characters, Damon snarks, vampire hotness, etc. I just wanted to come up with a believable story arc for Elijah, so I invented Evangeline, the child Isobel had a year before having Elena. I've tried to stay as true to the show as possible. I know it may be a bit cheesy, but go ahead and review honestly. Enjoy!

Part I (Ch. 1-10)/ Part II (Ch. 11-20)/ Part III (Ch. 21-34)/ Part IV (Ch. 35-46)/ Part V (Ch. 47-54)


PART I - Providence


Chapter 1: Inception

Jeremy set down his phone at a soft knock on the door. Who could that be? He cracked the door warily to face a young woman with dark hair and blue eyes. "Can I help you?"

The woman stepped back nervously, "Um, I was hoping, um, is Elena at home?"

"She's not here. What do you need?" His eyes narrowed.

The girl bit her lip, "It's kind of personal." Then her eyes brightened slightly. "I'm also looking for someone named Matt Donovan. Do you know him?"

Jeremy eyed her somewhat suspiciously but then decided to step back and swing open the door all the way. "He's a friend, but he could come over if you need to talk to him too. Would you like a soda while you wait?" he slyly evaded a direct invitation. "The couch is right over there." He pointed toward a room the girl couldn't see.

Her blue eyes sparkled as she stepped effortlessly into the house. "Thank you. I wouldn't normally be so forward, but it's kind of important." Then she extended her hand. "I'm Evangeline," she smiled kindly.

Jeremy took her hand awkwardly, "I'm Jeremy, Elena's brother. I'll, uh, get you that soda."

Evangeline waited nervously when the front door opened abruptly.

Damon swaggered through the door but stopped suddenly at the sight of the stranger sitting nervously on the couch. "Hey, uh, Jeremy? Who's your friend?" Damon's eyes narrowed.

Jeremy walked into the room with two sodas in hand. "She says she's friends with Elena and Matt. It's Evangeline, right?" he handed her the soda and sat across from her.

She answered shyly, "Yes, but, um, I've never actually met Elena or Matt. I'm hoping to speak to them as soon as possible."

Damon rolled his eyes and sat with a beer in hand. "Now why would a complete stranger waltz into Mystic Falls wanting to talk with the two people who just miraculously survived plunging truck-first off of Wickery Bridge? What are you, a reporter?" Before he could get an answer Elena and Stefan walked into the house.

Stefan's eyes immediately gauged the scene. "Who is this?"

The girl stepped forward to shake their hands. "I'm Evangeline Flemming."

"Flemming?" Elena finally spoke. "Are you related to Isobel?"

Evangeline sighed a nervous breath. "She was my mother."

"What?" Elena, Stefan and Jeremy exclaimed in unison.

Before anyone else could get in another word Damon cut in, "That's impossible. We know everything about Isobel from the time she had Elena to the time she offed herself in the sunlight."

Elena shushed him quickly. "Damon?" she snapped. How could he be so foolish?

Evangeline took a deep breath. "So you mean, my mother was really a vampire?" Her eyes widened as she tried to accept the truth. Then she looked up suddenly, "That means that you two must the vampire brothers who always look after Elena. Damon and Stefan," she gestured toward each of them."

"In the flesh," Damon retorted smugly.

Evangeline took a moment to process everything. "She told me everything in her letter, but I couldn't believe it."

"Wait, what letter?" Elena stepped closer.

"A goodbye letter. I got it months ago." Evangeline blushed slightly. "Except I thought she had been dead since 2007. I couldn't figure out what was harder to believe, that my mother was a vampire, or that she had been alive all these years."

Elena couldn't believe her ears. "So you knew Isobel all this time? You actually got to know her?"

Stefan deflected the question gracefully, "Why didn't we know about you?"

"I'm older than Elena. Isobel had a few rendezvous with an older man when she was 15. Matt Donovan's father, actually."

"Gross," Damon grimaced. "So Elena and Matt hooked up, and they're actually family."

Stefan smacked Damon's arm roughly, "Elena and Matt are not related."

Elena ignored Damon's jibes, "But Isobel's parents wouldn't have allowed it. She had to run away when she was pregnant with me."

Evangeline's eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe she was just scared to be confronted about it again. Isobel's parents were the ones who adopted me."

Elena's mouth dropped open. On the one hand she was furious; On the other hand she'd had a sister she never even knew about, who was also Matt's sister. It was all just difficult to process.

"I just texted Matt. He says he'll come by after work," Jeremy entered the conversation, "that is, if you'd like to stay."

"No, she can't stay," Damon snarked. "We don't even know if she is who she says she is."

"There's one way to find out," Stefan offered with raised eyebrows. "Have you taken any vervain, Evangeline?"

She looked puzzled. "I don't think so." Then with recognition she brightened, "but I think there might be some on my charm bracelet."

Stefan lifted her wrist to examine the bracelet. "There's vervain in this charm right here," he said, pointing out a small crescent moon. "Would you mind if we conduct a small experiment to see if you're telling the truth?"

"Are you going to compel me?" Evangeline looked wary.

"You'll do some back flips, jump out of a tree, no big deal." Damon grinned smugly.

Evangeline gasped. "Please don't make me do that. I'm afraid of heights."

"Psh," Damon scoffed. "By the time we're through you won't be!"

Stefan cut his brother off. "Don't worry. We're going to ask you a few simple questions, first with the bracelet, then without."

Elena hesitated, "I don't know, Stefan, she could pretend if she had vervain somewhere else or in her system."

Stefan shrugged. "It's just an experiment."

Stefan stood across from Evangeline. "So tell me, Evangeline. One by one, what do you think of every person in this room?"

Evangeline considered her response. "Well, Jeremy was nice, Damon is a bit overbearing, you seem impartial and fair, and Elena seems nice."

"I resent that," Damon grumbled as he sat back down on the couch.

Stefan faced her again. "Now remove the bracelet."

Evangeline took off the bracelet and set it on the arm of the sofa. Stefan stared directly into her eyes and instructed her carefully. "Tell me, one at a time, what you think of each person in this room."

Immediately her eyes glazed and she began spouting everything in her mind. "Jeremy's unsure whether to trust me, but his behavior is civil and kind. He has a handsome face and a nice voice." Jeremy nodded pleasingly from the sofa as Evangeline continued, "Damon is like a child. He consistently makes sure that the conversation redirects back to himself. He's handsome enough, but he seems to hide behind an air of overconfidence that countermands any attractiveness." Damon coughed to himself but said nothing. "Stefan would make a great investigator. He analyzes all the facts and doesn't get distracted by superfluous details. The only thing that does distract him is Elena. He's gazed at her nearly a dozen times since he first walked in. Elena is beautiful and reminds me of the pictures of great-grandma when she was young. She's hesitant to trust me."

Evangeline's eyes suddenly came back into focus and she blushed darkly. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for saying all that. Damon, I'm sure you're really, really nice." It looked like she might cry.

Stefan calmly interrupted, "You did great, Evangeline, that was very helpful. I just need to ask you one more question." He peered directly into her eyes, "Have you been telling us the truth about who you are?"

She replied in a dull monotone, "Yes." With her eyes regaining focus she stumbled to the sofa and trembled slightly as she grabbed the bracelet and fastened it securely, still blushing.

Elena finally sighed. "I believe you. I just don't know what to make out of all this. Hopefully when Matt gets here we can get this all figured out."

Evangeline smiled shyly, "I hope so."